The Worst Stocks for 2008

You've voted on the best. Now help us pick the biggest dud for the year ahead.

Thanks for participating in our "Worst Stocks for 2008" contest! You can still go to CAPS and rate these stocks any time you like, but the voting is over. Wondering who the unlucky winner was? Step right this way.

Did our recent "Best Stocks for 2008" contest leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy as you slurped down your grenadine-spiked soda? Were you fumbling for a quarter to get some Air Supply on the jukebox?

Well, the lovefest is over. It's time to get nasty.

There's a reason our CAPS landing page showcases the market's biggest losers right next to its biggest winners: We realize that optimists aren't the only ones who can make a killing in the market.

This week, we're unleashing our venom on some of the stocks that your fellow Fools think will tank in 2008. Whether they're stocks worth shorting, or just worth avoiding altogether, we've identified 17 that could be headed for a bruising in the year ahead.

You won't agree with all of the picks. Some of the names, in fact, will probably surprise you. But just remind yourself that this is an interactive contest. That means you have the power to help crown the winner -- well, technically, the loser -- by participating in Motley Fool CAPS, our growing investor-intelligence community.

Will you agree with Chuck Saletta when he knocks Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) for being pricey in a market that's about to get more competitive? Can you see Alyce Lomax's point when she rips into Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) for having possibly priced itself out of the mail-delivery market?

I know I'll have a tough time getting through Philip Durell's critique on XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR), a stock I once recommended to Rule Breakers subscribers. And are my Foolish friends really sticking it to Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT)? Sure, these classics have underperformed the market lately, but Sam Walton might just be turning over in his grave. There's a Frappuccino chill running down my spine just thinking about it.

Then again, I told you we'd get nasty. These 17 stocks have warts, and we're going to point them out, even if it hurts.

It's time to feed your inner pessimist. Review the various eulogies, and when you're done, head over to CAPS and cast your vote by calling "underperform" or "outperform" on as many of these stocks as you'd like. Finally, come back in a few days, when we'll announce the company that you, our readers, think should be crowned the worst stock for 2008.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz wants to know whether he can hang up his Grinch suit now. He is an XM subscriber and makes up part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.